pugnacity

American  

[puhg-nas-i-tee] / pʌgˈnæs ɪ ti /

Also pugnaciousness

noun

1. readiness to quarrel or fight; combative or argumentative character.

   She was always defending him against the fallout from his pugnacity and lack of social graces.

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Etymology

Origin of pugnacity

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin pugnācitās “combativeness,” equivalent to pugnāci-, stem of pugnāx “combative” + -tās -ty ² ( def. )

Explanation

Pugnacity, or a natural disposition to be aggressive or belligerent, isn't considered a flattering quality for a person to have. Then again, if you're a boxer, politician, or lawyer, that feistiness might actually come in handy. Pugnacity comes from the Latin word pugnare, which means to fight. The word pugnacity almost looks like it has the word "nasty" in it, which is fitting since a pugnacious person is one who can be nasty or belligerent. Another way to remember its meaning is to associate the word "city" tucked inside it, with the nature of cities, where people are known to be unfriendly and kind of aggressive.

Example Sentences

I am not persuaded by this criticism—the idea that Jaffa’s famous pugnacity arose from his Straussian ideas rather than his personality strikes me as tendentious.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

But in between docility and pugnacity lies the pathway to effective debate moderation, and I thought Muir and Davis did a fine job walking that road on Tuesday night.

From Slate • Sep. 11, 2024

Along the way, she showed flashes of the humor and pugnacity that have made her one of squash’s more forceful personalities.

From New York Times • May 4, 2022

In an early demonstration of his political pugnacity, Reid had demanded during the campaign that Laxalt release his family’s financial interests.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2021

It is not strange, then, that journals of redoubtable pugnacity were popular, or that editors favored writers who were likely to excel in the gladiatorial style.

From The Letters of Ambrose Bierce With a Memoir by George Sterling by Bierce, Ambrose